Fw: Let the EC know what you think about software patents

[TSAKALOGLOU KONSTANT]

Gia rixte mia matia.. Na stiloyme tipote?


K. Tsakaloglou

-----Original Message-----
From: petition at eurolinux.org <petition at eurolinux.org>
To: tsakf at tee.gr <tsakf at tee.gr>
Date: Τρίτη, 14 Νοεμβρίου 2000 5:12 μμ
Subject: Let the EC know what you think about software patents


>
>Dear Sir,
>Dear Madam,
>
>The European Commission is currently researching the economic impact of
>software patents. For quite obvious reasons, many patent attorneys and
>IP lawyers who earn money through the patent system are currently lobbying
>the European Commission in favor of a broad extension of the patent system
>to software, business methods, intellectual methods, etc.
>
>Unless you express your own opinion, only their opinion will be taken into
>account in the decision process, whatever the consequences on your
business,
>whatever the consequences on innovation.
>
>It is therefore very important and urgent, if you consider software patents
>to be more harmful than useful, to send your opinion by email to:
>
> consultation at eurolinux.org
>
>as soon as possible and, in any case, before December 15th, 2000. You
>can write in the official language of any member country of the European
>Union.
>
>Your email will then be forwarded to the European Commission and published
on
>the EuroLinux Web in order to make sure that your point of view is taken
into
>consideration:
>
> http://petition.eurolinux.org/consultation
>
>There is currently a consensus among economists on the fact that software
>patents tend to stifle innovation and harm small and medium enterprises
>because they create tremendous juridical uncertainty which only benefits to
>patent attorneys and lawyers. There is also a consensus among patent
>attorneys on the fact that patents on business methods are just a kind of
>software patents and that it is impossible to ban business method patents
>once software patents become legal.
>
>Please write serious (but not necessarily long) emails, with a consistent
>analysis based on economics, technology or real world examples from your
>everyday practice. Here are a few advice for your email to reach maximal
impact
>within the European Commission:
>
> 1- NO POLITICS - Do not include in your emails any political analysis.
>Otherwise, certain civil servants at the European Commission will pretend
that
>you are politically biased and claim that your arguments are irrelevant.
>
> 2- FREE MARKET RHETORICS - Use rhetorics based on free market,
>competition, innovation, entrepreneurship, SMEs and property, just as if
you
>were the chief of the federation of enterprises in your country. EuroLinux
has
>experienced that "free market economy" is currently the only common
language
>which most civil servants at the European Commission understand. In order
to
>let them understand your point of view and take it into account, it is
>compulsory to speak their language. Arguments based on epistemology, ethics
or
>history are acceptable but have in general no positive impact on the
European
>Commission because only few people will understand them.
>
> 3- DAVOS COMPATIBLE - Imagine that you are introducing your point of
>view at the Davos Economic Forum in front of CEOs who will only listen to
you
>if your arguments mean more profits to them. Incidentally, many
Commissioners
>at the European Commission used to be members of the steering committee of
the
>Davos Economic Forum.
>
> 4- CONSENSUS AMONG ECONOMISTS - Always mention that there is a
>consensus among economists on the fact that software patents harm
innovation.
>
>Please understand that our advice does not represent any political point of
>view of the EuroLinux Alliance and is strictly designed at helping you to
>present your arguments in such way that they are going to be taken into
>account by the European Commission.
>
>For more information on software patents, please read our knowledge
>database and follow the links:
>
> http://petition.eurolinux.org/consultation
> http://petition.eurolinux.org/pr/pr5.html
>
>If you need inspiration to write your own statement, you may also access
our
>statements database where 100 European companies have already published
>position statements:
>
> http://petition.eurolinux.org/statements
>
>Best regards,
>
>EuroLinux Alliance
>petition at eurolinux.org
>http://petition.eurolinux.org
>
>